Help sorting out possible PC generated EMI and my AX8.

Nonservium

Member
Disregard. Nothing I've found through searches or asking for help here was of any use. I'll just look elsewhere.
 
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Its not the AX8. Unconditioned power supply/charger connected to the computer with USB cable from computer to the AX8 a likely suspect if it isn't the PC itself, or the display monitor or guitar pickup related. Most computer audio monitors and many studio monitors are shielded because PCs generate so so much EMI. I've been to studios that kept their computers in a shielded closet or cupboard.
 
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How is the Input/Gate block set to? Is it set to OFF? When I do that I get static and noise. When the Gate is Engage, no noise.

My guitar is 34 inches from monitor (iMac) and the AX8 is 12 inches from guitar.
 
Turn off the gate and do some experimenting to nail down the cause. Move the guitar around... Closer, far, from the monitor, ax8, etc. My guess is the issue is the proximity of the guitar to the computer.
It sounds like you don't have much flexibility in your space, so using the gate and maybe look into some kind of shielding.
The gate will take out the noise, but nothing is free... You will lose the tail end of notes sooner, as they die out. So most of us find a happy medium of what we're willing to put up with, and still gate out most of the noise. Adjust the gate with that in mind.
 
So as of yesterday I did change the proximity of my computer to where I usually park myself to play in here. The difference of a few feet actually got rid of what turned out to be one of two noises. The noise that stopped was the PC and sounded vaguely like a cell phone would sound through a stereo speaker, if that makes any sense.

I now seem to have a hum that is somewhat manageable but its still there and very apparent under certain circumstances. I have been using an HSS guitar to test and in Bridge, Middle, and Middle+Bridge (5, 3, & 2) I get what I believe to be ground hum which gets exponentially worse with any sort of gain. The guitar itself has a 9v powered "silent circuit" which is supposed to reduce hum but if I use any of the aforementioned pickup positions I can touch my hand to the bridge and the hum somewhat goes away but is still very faint. I've now taken it to several spots around the house and found the same thing happens varying degrees.

I've ordered an EBtech Hum-X as a good friend of mine had luck with that and his single coil guitars. Hopefully it will sort some of it out. As for now, I can at least play this guitar on 2 settings relatively painlessly. At the very least, it no longer sounds like an old modem lol.
 
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